Leibell Starts Prison Term

Former state Sen. Vincent Leibell, convicted of tax evasion and obstruction of justice, turned himself in to a federal prison camp in Pennsylvania today to begin serving his 21-month sentence.

Leibell entered the minimum security prison camp in Loretto at 9:30 a.m., a Bureau of Prisons spokesman said. The camp, part of the Federal Correctional Institution in Loretto sits about 90 miles east of Pittsburgh and is adjacent to a more traditional prison. The camp is more a dormitory-style facility, spokesman Chris Burke said, with no razor-wire-topped fences or guard towers.

Once he is cleared to become part of the general population, Burke said, Leibell will be assigned a job within the prison where he will start out earning 12 cents an hour.

The 28-year Albany politician pleaded guilty to his crimes in December. Prosecutors said he extorted public monies from fellow attorneys and then urged one of them to lie to a grand jury about it.

U.S. District Judge Warren Eginton in May sentenced him to prison, followed by three years probation.